exnovia
/eɡsnobja/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for ex-girlfriend is exnovia.
exnovia refers to a woman who was previously in a romantic relationship with the speaker or another person.
How does it change in a sentence?
exnovia is a feminine noun and must agree with a feminine subject or object. The plural form is exnovias. If you need to refer to a man, use the masculine form exnovio. For a group consisting only of men or a mixed-gender group of former partners, use the masculine plural exnovios.
How do you pronounce it?
/eɡsnobja/
Did you know?
- The word novia comes from the Latin novus meaning 'new'. Originally, it referred to a 'newlywed' or a 'bride', which explains why the term is still used for weddings today.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, the word novia is used for both 'girlfriend' and 'fiancée'. This means exnovia can refer to someone who was just dating the speaker or someone who was formally engaged to be married.
- The prefix ex- in Spanish is almost always attached directly to the noun without a hyphen, unlike the English 'ex-girlfriend', making exnovia a single cohesive word.
Examples in context
- Mi exnovia y yo terminamos nuestra relaciónMy ex-girlfriend and I ended our relationship
- Mi ex y yo rompimos hace unos mesesMy ex and I broke up a few months ago
- La relación con mi exnovia terminó de manera amigable.The relationship with my ex-girlfriend ended amicably.
- Mi ex y yo todavía somos amigos a pesar de la ruptura.My ex and I are still friends despite the breakup.
- No quiero volver con mi ex. Ella no era la adecuada para mí.I don't want to get back together with my ex. She wasn't the right one for me.
- Mi exnovia vive en Madrid.My ex-girlfriend lives in Madrid.
- ¿Conoces a su exnovia?Do you know his ex-girlfriend?
- Ella es mi exnovia.She is my ex-girlfriend.
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía are talking about a party.
- DanielVi a mi exnovia en la fiesta.I saw my ex-girlfriend at the party.
- Lucía¿Y qué pasó entre ustedes?And what happened between you two?
- DanielSolo nos saludamos cortésmente.We just greeted each other politely.
- LucíaEso es lo mejor, Daniel.That is for the best, Daniel.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry exnovia, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
